Welcome, Foolish Muggles! IoA/US/MK/SW July 2011* Top Ten "Things" *

[AlisaMom]

I REALLY enjoyed your report! Waiting for more updates

 

[Seeker615]

Great report. It makes me more excited for our trip!
Can't wait to see what is next!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Thanks for the update! Love all the pictures and commentary!

 

[pezaddict231]

great report, we're going to Universal in September and your report is making me so excited!

 

[ngoldy]

I am loving these photos. Our first trip will be in December and I can clearly see that "wet" rides definitely means "wet"! I guess we'll have to see what the weather will do...

and after reading about your separation with no cell phones, we will always carry them, even if we have them in ziploc bags!

 

[natebenma]

Great updates! Can't wait for more!!

Thank you so much!

I REALLY enjoyed your report! Waiting for more updates

I appreciate your comments- thanks for following along.

Thanks for the update! Love all the pictures and commentary!

Thank you!

great report, we're going to Universal in September and your report is making me so excited!

September should be a great time to go! And I will probably be finished my report by then.

I am loving these photos. Our first trip will be in December and I can clearly see that "wet" rides definitely means "wet"! I guess we'll have to see what the weather will do...

and after reading about your separation with no cell phones, we will always carry them, even if we have them in ziploc bags!

Yes, seriously wet! It does make it difficult to protect your stuff. I definitely recommend taking some ziplocs- at the time, I was wearing my fanny pack which contained our paper tickets (printed out from printer) and my camera battery and memory cards.

If you have a ziploc that is large enough (2 gallon), you can put the fanny pack into it on the very wet rides.

If you carry a ziplock BIG BAG and dress in layers, you can rip off your shirt to keep that dry.

 

[natebenma]

After passing through this gate

All the lines stopped being straight

This one’s like the “TTA”

The boys did not see it that way

A “People Mover” through the ABC’s

I’m quite afraid they were not pleased!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish

Follow directions or you’ll be wet-ish

Just how wet do you get?

We didn’t go, so I don’t know yet.

Cat in the Hat, I think it’s like Pooh

But the boys didn’t want to ride that one, too!

picture from internet



Why did we skip these?

What’s wrong with my fam?

Am I disappointed?

D*mn, I am!


I wouldn’t have minded trying out these rides, just Onceler!

 

[pixeegrl]

Awe man, The Cat in The Hat ride is so much fun! I wish they would have let you go!!!

 

[Seeker615]

Bummer on the Cat in the Hat ride. My sister and I had a lot of fun on it. It was like the pooh ride.

Can't wait to see what is next!

(Your pics are awesome!)

 

[SharonK0527]

Great update! I loved The Cat in the Hat ride and also One Fish Two Fish. You don't get very wet on that ride - just some sprinkles (like the spitting camel on The Magic Carpets of Aladdin).

Looking forward to the next update!!

 

[heatherenae71]

Love your trip report and all the pics so far - sooo awesome! You're getting me excited for US and IoA (and I admit, I don't know a THING about Harry Potter...I have three months to get on that - LOL).

DH and I haven't been to Universal since 2002 (the High in the Skies Seuss Trolley wasn't done then)...My kids are gonna go NUTS in Seussland!

And I am soooo excited for the Mummy ride - woot!!

Can't wait to read more of your trip!

 

[natebenma]

Awe man, The Cat in The Hat ride is so much fun! I wish they would have let you go!!!

I wanted to try Cat in the Hat!

Bummer on the Cat in the Hat ride. My sister and I had a lot of fun on it. It was like the pooh ride.

Can't wait to see what is next!

(Your pics are awesome!)

Thanks so much for your comment about the pictures. That is obviously my favorite thing to do on vacation!

Again, all I am hearing here (and I have this report posted on the DIS TR forum too) is how fun Cat in the Hat is!

Love your trip report and all the pics so far - sooo awesome! You're getting me excited for US and IoA (and I admit, I don't know a THING about Harry Potter...I have three months to get on that - LOL).

DH and I haven't been to Universal since 2002 (the High in the Skies Seuss Trolley wasn't done then)...My kids are gonna go NUTS in Seussland!

And I am soooo excited for the Mummy ride - woot!!

Can't wait to read more of your trip!

Thank you! My DH is not as nuts about Harry as I am or our kids, and he still enjoyed the Wizarding World, but it wouldn't hurt to sit through movies 1-3 to better appreciate all of the detail.

Seuss does look fun for people with kids at heart- ours were at the perfectly WRONG age to enjoy this area.

Mummy is SOOOOOOOO cool!

Great update! I loved The Cat in the Hat ride and also One Fish Two Fish. You don't get very wet on that ride - just some sprinkles (like the spitting camel on The Magic Carpets of Aladdin).

Looking forward to the next update!!

Regrets, I have a few!

 

[natebenma]

After a mostly uneventful visit to Seussland, we continued our journey to the park exit. We had one more attraction to tackle before leaving.

We headed to Marvel Superhero Island.

Dr. Doom’s Fearfall (Takes fear to new heights- 150 ft. straight up) vs. The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman (Swing above the streets in 3-D) vs. The Incredible Hulk Coaster (Feel the rage on a high-speed roller coaster rampage).

Which character won out???


Spiderman!


Before we ride, I am going to share with you a joke that Nate made up when he was around 6 or 7 years old:

Q: How does Spiderman know that it is time to go to the bathroom?

A: His Spidey senses start “tinkling”




It is kind of hard to compare to an existing Disney ride- it is most like Forbidden Journey in this park. It is a moving (as in you are in motion), but not rollercoaster ride, where you are immersed in the 3-D action as Spiderman battles Dr. Octopus and his Sinister Syndicate who are using an antigravity gun to make off with the Statue of Liberty and other NYC landmarks.

This was a fun ride- very visually stimulating.

After Spiderman, we continued made a couple of stops before exiting the park:


We explored the gift shop.

School supplies:

Monster book of monsters:

Wands:

We purchased the Bertie Botts we had promised Ben, a chocolate frog for Nate (Helga Hufflepuff was the Famous Wizard Card inside) and a shirt for me and had these items sent back to the room:

We also decided now would be a good time to exchange our paper tickets for a more durable material since we would be using them for a couple more days, so we stopped at Guest Services near the exit.

A lot of backtracking and some disappointment this morning, along with some downright rhyming rebellion, but overall, we had a really nice first visit to IoA. The Wizarding World was wonderful, and the water rides we tried were fun and very refreshing on a hot July morning.

We still had a few new things to conquer here- The Hulk, and hopefully, Dinosaurs!


On the way back to the Portofino, we stopped at City Walk for a little shopping at NBA City.

Look, it’s a Hidden Mickey!

Unfortunately, nobody told me that NBA stands for Nate Blows Allowance!

Dwayne Wade El Heat Shirt- $65, no AAA discount

NBA City Orlando T-Shirt, around $12, ($1.20 discount)- sorry, no picture.


We took the boat from City Walk to the Portofino, then stopped at the club lounge for some cold drinks and snacks and took a break for a couple of hours.


I went for a quick swim

The boys relaxed in the room as we rested up because


Next up: We have a “BIG” date this afternoon

 

[Brownie54]

"Unfortunately, nobody told me that NBA stands for Nate Blows Allowance!"


Love it! A BIG date eh. What could that be?

 

[AnjieNet]

I've really enjoyed reading your trip report. It's gotten me so excited to go! And also reminded me I need to acquaint my daughter (8) with some movies she probably hasn't seen so she isn't missing out on knowing the themes. We've already brushed up on our Harry Potter before seeing 7.2 but I don't think she's seen Jurassic Park or Hulk. Probably others too. Sad your boys weren't into Seuss (I don't think I'll have that problem) but I loved your narrative!

 

[natebenma]

"Unfortunately, nobody told me that NBA stands for Nate Blows Allowance!"


Love it! A BIG date eh. What could that be?

Nate is at an age where he is very particular about what he wears. A lot of his wardrobe consists of sports shirts- NFL (players from different teams) and NBA (mostly Celtics). First thing he said when I told him Chad OchoCinco (sp?) was traded to the Patriots: "I want the shirt"

Yes, a "BIG" date! It was no fluke that we planned it this way.

I've really enjoyed reading your trip report. It's gotten me so excited to go! And also reminded me I need to acquaint my daughter (8) with some movies she probably hasn't seen so she isn't missing out on knowing the themes. We've already brushed up on our Harry Potter before seeing 7.2 but I don't think she's seen Jurassic Park or Hulk. Probably others too. Sad your boys weren't into Seuss (I don't think I'll have that problem) but I loved your narrative!

I'm glad you're enjoying the report. Definitely watch Jurassic Park! There are so many parts of this section of the park that look exactly like the movie! I don't think the other movies are quite as important- even if you haven't seen Hulk, you can still appreciate the coaster. Spiderman may be worth watching for the backstory and familiarity with the villans.

My kids don't really know Dudley Do-Right or Popeye & the gang, but we all enjoyed the water rides.

Thanks for your kind words about the Seuss chapter. I asked my husband to read it, and he said "But we didn't do anything!" and I said, "Exactly!"

 

[Brownie54]

" Nate is at an age where he is very particular about what he wears. A lot of his wardrobe consists of sports shirts- NFL (players from different teams) and NBA (mostly Celtics). "

I sooo understand that. I remember when my son was the same.

 

[natebenma]

" Nate is at an age where he is very particular about what he wears. A lot of his wardrobe consists of sports shirts- NFL (players from different teams) and NBA (mostly Celtics). "

I sooo understand that. I remember when my son was the same.

That sounds promising... This too shall pass???

 

[natebenma]

Ben is practically a marine biologist.

OK, I exaggerate a bit, but he loves marine animals and knows a LOT about sharks, whales, turtles and more. We are fortunate to live near the seacoast and our family has grown up tidepooling, whalewatching and attending awesome monthly marine programs at a local Audubon center. My dad has volunteered as a marine docent, going into schools and working at a different science center on the seacoast in NH.

Don’t let us catch you calling that Sea Star a “Starfish”!

We have tons of books on ocean life and Ben’s fascination with creatures of the deep almost rivals his devotion to dinosaurs.

We had not visited Sea World since a one-day visit in 2004, so as part of our “Other Orlando” trip, this was high on our list. As I mentioned in my intro, we purchased Buy 1 day, Get 1 day free tickets (at child prices) before our trip.

We decided that the best way to see Sea World was in two half-day visits. Today our focus was to see the Shamu show, since the late afternoon/evening shows tend to be less crowded, and then hit rides and exhibits another morning.

We took a taxi cab from Portofino Bay Resort to Sea World, $19 plus tip. We arrived around 4 PM. Shamu show was scheduled for 5:30, so we had a time to enjoy a few exhibits first.

We started out at the Ray aquarium- this reminded us a lot of The DIG at Atlantis.

Aren’t these Sea Dragons the coolest things!

Someone had a long day!

As we started out towards Shamu Stadium and we encountered the Shark Encounter. The shark tunnel was super crowded, so we just looked at a couple of exhibits inside then went to the outside viewing pools.

Continued in Next Post

 

[natebenma]

It was time to get seats for the show. It was hot, so we decided to purchase water from a cart before going in. There were two families ahead of us in line, and I swear, it took 15 minutes for us to get our water!!! Sea World has some sort of refillable drink thing going on, and I don’t know how it possibly took that long to wait on so few people, but it did! When we arrived at the stadium, we found drink and snack concessions with no lines. D’OH!

We found seats right over one of the entrance ramps, 2nd level, almost center of the stadium. They were really good seats since nobody could sit in front of us, but there was a seating rail that got in the way of our views, just a little.

Before the show, the screen showed different cartoon sea animals: a sea horse, pufferfish, hermit crab and octopus and you could text your name to a number listed with each animal and your name would be posted on the board during the preshow. Nate texted a couple of times using the names (Nate Ben)- which we saw and (Walt Disney)-which never did appear on screen. Saw a couple of (Harry Potters) and (Voldemorts) listed though.

The Shamu show was recently changed, in April I think, to One Ocean

The set is gorgeous, and during the performance there are beautiful ocean and underwater scenes showing while the Orcas are performing.

It is AMAZING what creatures that big can do!

Towards the end of the show, the narration discussed how it is important for everyone to do what we can to protect the oceans. I deeply love and care about the Earth and her beaches and oceans, so I am very pleased to support this cause. But I found it ironic that it was difficult to find recycling disposal containers at Sea World. Just sayin’! They do have a bin as you exit the park where you can recycle your park maps, but throughout our stay at the park, it was difficult to find a place to recycle our bottles.


Right across from Shamu stadium is the Wild Arctic exhibit. You can take a simulated helicopter ride (things go wrong during your trip, a la Mission:Space at EPCOT). Things actually had gone wrong in the preshow for me- there are subtitles when the helicopter pilot gives flight instructions and explains how they want to “insure” (not ensure) our safety. Sea World needs proofreaders.

The helicopter ride was fun, though, and you are let off at an Arctic Sea Base

There is a wall of ”ice” that feels cold and wet when you touch it. Very neat!

Don’t stick your tongue on that!

There are Polar Bears and Beluga Whales on exhibit. I don’t have great pictures of the Polar Bear, but this was taken right before he/she rolled over. Very cool!

There is also a scale you and your family can climb on and compare your weight to things like Polar Bears and Walruses. I won’t tell you who was on the scale or how we compared!

We exited the Arctic exhibit, and that’s when things got very WET!!!

Before leaving the Portofino that afternoon, we had the Great Poncho Debate. Should we take them or not? Sky was beautiful and blue with very few clouds. Mark thought it would be a good idea to pack a backpack and bring the ponchos. I didn’t think they were necessary.

Mark won that discussion.

Phew!!!

Nate refused to wear his poncho. (Lame?)

The worst part of the thunderstorm was that a bunch of routes to the exits were closed off because they didn’t want us travelling on bridges over water. It was a long way out of the park.

It was around 6:30, and at this point we really needed to get some food. But all of the places at Sea World were mob scenes with people trying to duck out of the storm.

We checked at Sharks Underwater Grill, a restaurant adjacent to the viewing for the shark tunnel- think Coral Reef. The wait here was over an hour.

Where should we eat???

I had what I thought was a brilliant idea! Instead of heading back to our resort, let’s go to City Walk. There are a bunch of restaurants there!

Next up: Dinner Panda-monium